I Want To Know What Love Is
by xXBalorBabeXx
Summary: She wanted to be accepted and loved for who she was, not wanting them to get to know her just because her twin left... but would Harper just be their replacement or could they learn to love her for who she is? (AU after the Feburary 2nd-5th 2018 episodes of General Hospital, OCxOC pairing)
1. Finding Stable Ground Again

_**9 hours earlier…**_

 _The door to their room slammed open with authority, their minds only locked on one thing as Brayden pinned Harper against the wall as they were still half naked and his hands trailed up her body, her bra unclipping and being tossed aside._

" _D'fhéach sé ró-diabhal!" Brayden growled lowly by Harper's left ear as he trailed his lips up and down her neck, Harper's heart rate increasing again as Brayden pulled her skinny jeans down and trailed his hand down her spine, pressing her closer to him as she yanked his jeans down after unbuttoning them._

" _Rinneamar araon." Harper whispered, Brayden letting out a low growl of approval… something in him just went through the roof whenever the younger woman spoke in the language both had known too well._

 _The dark haired man playfully tossed his girlfriend onto the bed and she out a light laugh as he climbed on top of her._

" _So good to me, Miss Eckert…" Brayden whispered, lightly kissing Harper's left shoulder and neck as she closed her eyes and tossed her head back… she moved her hips to him and tried to grab onto his hair but he kept her pinned down as he pulled her satin panties off._

 _With a final tug of his boxers and the rest of the clothing disappearing into the darkened room, Brayden reached over on the nightstand and took a condom out of the box left in their room and he put it on… Harper's pulse was at immeasurable levels as he moved forward, the two losing awareness of everything around them._

 _She tossed her head back and moaned out as she felt his fingers dig into her hips, the two moving faster once the shockwaves of unadulterated bliss hit them harder._

 _By the time they crashed from the high they were on, there was nothing left of their voices left after the screams… opening his bright blue eyes, Brayden looked down at Harper, who's hazel eyes slowly opened and she looked up at him with an exhausted smile._

 _Once in each others arms and tangled up in the ivory bed sheets, she rested her head on his right shoulder as his left hand rested on her hip._

 _Harper Eckert was a restless soul at times and Brayden Lavery knew that all too well, the half Scottish, half Irish man glancing at her._

 _Eckert was all he knew her as, they were the family that raised her… and it was taking him time to get used to her biological family much like he was hoping to forge some kind of friendship with his own brother he hadn't known about until November._

 _With the exception of Drew, who hated Brayden, Harper and Jason from the minute they set foot in Port Charles, Brayden had no ill will against her families… Sly treated him like family and so did Jason._

 _But the aforementioned mobster had no idea up until late September that he had another sister… and he was taking his time getting used to her boyfriend._

 _Harper was trying to get used to Jason's overprotective nature, hoping to enforce that there was a difference between herself and the twin she was separated from as a newborn._

 _The woman in Brayden's arms looked at him before they smiled and kissed._

" _Is breá liom tú." Harper whispered._

" _Is breá liom tú freisin, mo ghrá." Brayden responded in a quiet tone before they kissed again and fell asleep._

 _The snow raged on in the February night as Jason drove around on his motorcycle, looking for Harper._

 _She had told him about the incident at the Metro Court where she felt like she had to intervene in an argument between Carly and Nelle when it seemed to her that the women would turn physically violent… not for Nelle's sake but for the baby's._

 _Jason wasn't all that shocked that Carly had gone off at Harper, perceiving her interference to be betrayal… but he could tell that Carly was already trying to throw Harper out of Jason's life._

 _And there was no way that Jason would lose his little sister… he had already lost years with her…_

 **Present time…**

The faint sunlight fluttered through the curtains of the room, a pair of blue eyes opening… and Brayden looking at a still sleeping Harper.

Her left arm rested on him, half of her face obscured by her long honey brown and blonde hair… he reached over and lightly brushed it out of her face, Harper unfazed by it except for making a small noise that meant that she wasn't ready to wake up yet.

And he wasn't ready to start the day off either.

Brayden pulled Harper closer to him and kissed her on her neck before settling back into sleep.

The rest of the world could wait.


	2. Not Alone In This World

_**July 25th 1988…**_

 _The second the two pairs of eyes connected, Bill Eckert picked the shivering 3 ½ month old up into his arms and she burrowed herself into his shirt… she wrapped her tiny right hand around his index finger and her left hand around Nancy's._

 _The couple had walked into the adoption center with their young son along with them, the paperwork having gone through to adopt the baby._

 _And they both looked at each other with soft smiles as Sly made silly faces at the infant, who giggled._

" _I think this little angel chose us as her family…" Nancy whispered before lightly kissing the infant on her forehead. "Well, we've gotta pick out a name for her… any suggestions?" She responded quietly._

" _I thought of one… Harper Elena." Bill answered before turning to her. "You like that, kiddo?" He asked._

 _Harper clapped her tiny hands together as she babbled, Sly looking at Bill and Nancy._

" _Is it okay if I hold her?" Sly asked._

" _Of course, Slyster." Bill responded, gently putting Harper in Sly's arms after the boy sat down._

" _Hi… I'm your older brother and I'm gonna look out for you. I'm gonna teach you a lot of things in life, Harper… how to tie your shoes when you're old enough to wear them… how to ride a bike… and drive a car. Well, when I'm old enough to drive, of course." Sly replied, lightly brushing Harper's short dark blonde hair back. "And you're gonna know that you're always loved by your family… I promise, Sis." He whispered, kissing Harper on her forehead._

 _Harper let out a sleepy yawn and rested her head on Sly's right shoulder, closing her eyes as Bill and Nancy smiled again._

 _The first night home, Bill found himself holding Harper close to him after changing her into a pink and grey pajama onesie… the infant was out like a light but Bill couldn't bring himself to put his daughter in her crib just yet._

" _One day, Harper Elena, we're gonna go to Port Charles and you're gonna meet your whole family… Luke, Bobbie, Patricia… they're gonna love you like they've known you for your entire life. And love you for you, my precious angel." Bill whispered, Harper's snores barely audible._

 _And when Bill finally put her in her crib, he swore he saw Harper's tiny mouth form into a smile… he lightly kissed her on her forehead before he headed to his and Nancy's room._

 _Over in Port Charles, Alan was checking on his 3 ½ month old daughter, who was asleep in her crib when he felt hands resting on his shoulders and turned… and smiled when he saw Monica, who smiled at him and Lily._

" _She's gonna grow up surrounded by all the love we all have… and none of the chaos that comes with our family." Monica whispered, Alan smiling._

" _Yes she will." Alan responded quietly before he lightly kissed Lily on her forehead and Monica rubbed the infant's head._

" _Goodnight, sweetheart." Monica whispered before she and Alan headed back to their room, Alan quietly closing the door._

 _Across the world in Ireland, Duke looked at newly turned 12 year old Brayden, who looked back at him._

" _Where do you keep going off to, Dad? Mom mentioned that you're seeing another woman…" The boy questioned, Duke kneeling down to his son's height._

" _A place called Port Charles… and someday son, I want to take you there so you can meet her. Her name is Anna and she is very nice but she has a child of her own and she's been busy trying to figure everything out." Duke explained before he and his son hugged. "I promise, I will be back for you." He responded before he left._

 _But at the time, Brayden didn't know that the man who had just left wasn't Duke Lavery…_

 **Present time…**

Harper's eyes slowly opened, her looking up and seeing Brayden before she snuggled closer to him and they kissed.

"Morning, love." Brayden responded.

"Morning to you too." Harper replied, slowly stretching her body... or trying to but her limbs were numb.

The 29 and 41 year olds were still half asleep and tempted to fall back asleep… but they heard the door open and two sets of footsteps, the two sitting up.

"I have no damn idea where she could've gone off to, she doesn't know the city like it's second nature to her." Jason responded after closing the door.

"Look, just calm down… I'm sure Harper will turn up here sooner or later, she seems to feel safe with you. That tells me that you two are getting to know each other after being robbed of years you could've had as siblings. And none of them were thinking straight from what you told me when you called but Carly really shouldn't have blown up at her yesterday… Harper was just trying to keep things from turning volatile." Anna replied.

"Which is a good thing. Carly does get out of control when she gets angry, so does Nelle… I hope Carly didn't mean the horrible things she said, how Harper isn't truly family because she didn't grow up around me." Jason responded.

Brayden immediately stood up, pulling the condom off and pulling on a pair of boxers before pulling his pajamas on as Harper stood up and pulled her underwear and his shirt onto her before they kissed and she went to go get cleaned off… taking a few seconds to compose himself, Brayden walked out into the living room and Jason and Anna looked up.

"She's getting cleaned off?" Jason asked.

"Yes… last night got a bit…" Brayden responded. "Chaotic. Harper's not harmed but she was upset after the altercation between Carly and Nelle and Carly going off at Harper didn't make things easier." He replied, having trailed off as Anna observed him.

"You remind me of your dad, he always looked out for others before looking out for himself." Anna responded with a kind smile, putting Brayden at ease.

But the look Jason had on his face didn't make the calm feeling last long… and he knew what had happened the night before.


	3. Looking Back & Not Wanting To

_**October 13th 2004, Paris, France…**_

 _16 year old Harper was walking through a park after a long and exhausting day, unwilling to bring herself to go home after a bad fight with Sly the previous night… and tripped over a rock, catching herself from falling._

" _This day just needs to end already!" Harper muttered._

 _But as she stopped to pick up her dropped book bag, she let out a scream after she was grabbed and her scream was cut off by a masked man clamping his hand over her mouth and her biting him before she stomped on his foot and grabbed the blue and red bag before she ran for it, screaming for help even as she was tripped up, turned onto her back and pinned down and thrashing around as the attacker ripped the lower half of her school blouse up._

" _Stay still, you teasing and taunting harlot!" The attacker yelled._

" _Stop! Get off me, GET OFF ME!" Harper screamed before she was sliced with a knife._

 _Her screams were answered when a man in his late 20s snatched the masked attacker off of her and slammed him into the tree, Harper closing her eyes in fright as the man continued to attack the masked attacker who had been targeting the teenager._

" _Thought you were gonna have your way with her despite her kicking and screaming, huh?! Don't think so, you sick bastard! You go anywhere near her or any young girl or woman again, I will hunt you down and rip your damn spine out! Are we clear?!" The man threatened._

" _We're clear…" The masked attacker responded in fear for his life, the younger man throwing him into traffic and letting a car run him over._

 _He turned to Harper in a gentle manner and crouched down to the scared girl, who opened her eyes._

" _He won't be hurting you anymore, little one…" The man reassured her as he pressed a washcloth to the wound under her right eye. "What's your name?" He asked._

" _Harper Eckert…" Harper responded in a trembling tone._

" _You're gonna be okay, Harper. I'm Brayden Lavery… I'm gonna get you to a hospital." Brayden explained before he helped Harper up and to his car after handing her book bag to her._

 _Hospital Lariboisière Ap-Hp was visible by its illuminated sign and the 28 year old parked the car and helped the injured 16 year old into the ER, Harper leaning against Brayden as her being pulled down had caused her to injure her left ankle._

 _While she was being treated and had explained her story to the police, who wrote it down as well as writing down what Brayden had witnessed for verification, the nurse called Jenny, who rushed down to the hospital and immediately hugged her niece._

" _Where are Sly and Uncle Paul?" Harper questioned after they had let go, the wound under her eye stitched up._

" _Sly's out with friends and Paul got held up at work." Jenny explained before turning to Brayden. "Thank you for protecting my niece." She responded with a kind smile._

" _It's no problem. I saw what was going on, I wasn't going to let that coward hurt her." Brayden replied before he lightly rubbed Harper's right shoulder._

 _Neither knew it at the time what their chance encounter would lead to but Jenny could see that Harper had made a good friend._

 _Even if he was older than Harper…_

 **Present time…**

Harper had gotten ready for the day and kissed Brayden before he went to go get cleaned off… but she could see the look in Jason's eyes.

"You're awfully quiet…" Harper responded, Jason turning to her.

"You and I didn't get to grow up together… but that doesn't mean we're not family. And despite what Carly said, I'm not trying to use you to replace Lily." Jason explained.

"I know you're not… I also know Sonny isn't but when he looks at me, it's like he sees someone else." Harper responded, Jason knowing that she was right.

"I think sometimes when he looks at you… he sees Karen Wexler. You do look a little similar to her." Jason replied.

"Scott Baldwin's daughter?" Harper asked, Jason nodding. "Damn, how many women in this town haven't slept with Sonny?" She responded, Jason muffling a laugh.

"I think we're getting a bit off track though." Jason replied before they sat down. "When Sonny first showed up here, he was working as an employee for Frank Smith, he had to run The Paradise Lounge… and Karen was working there as a stripper, Sonny kept her high. And when she realised the damage he was doing to her, she had left." He explained.

"She straightened out her life…" Harper responded, Jason seeing the sickened look in her eyes and the scar under her right eye… and while he knew it was partly from him telling her about Sonny and Karen, he could also see that she had rage from him mentioning Frank.

"Did Smith hurt you when you were a child?" Jason asked.

"No… he didn't physically hurt me but his men gunned Dad down, having mistaken him for Luke." Harper explained, Jason knowing that she still thought of Bill Eckert as her father… and despite the short time he spent in her life, Bill was the only father that Harper had known.

"Then what led to the scar under your eye?" Jason questioned.

"When I was 16… I was walking through the park one night. I had gotten tripped up, stopped to grab my book bag… and someone lunged out at me and grabbed me as I screamed for help. I fought back and ran but he… tripped me up. Had it not been…" Harper responded before Jason got her to sit down and sat down next to her.

"Had it not been for Brayden protecting you, your attacker would've taken things too far…" Jason replied, Harper nodding as she brushed her tears away.

"When Paul found out, he got furious and wanted the man who attacked me put away for a long time… and that man was. But the man who violently attacked Paul's daughter Susan wasn't… when I heard about Kyle Sloane's death, I thought _"Good… I hope he suffered in his final moments just like he made my cousin suffer.''_. He had it coming to him for escaping justice but Paul's other victims? They didn't deserve what he did to them… Paul was already gone after what happened to Susan, there was no getting through to him." Harper responded before she and Jason hugged.

After Jason left, Harper and Brayden had locked the door and were watching a movie when they decided to go and get something to eat.

But as they grabbed their coats and put them on, they heard a knock at the door… and Harper went to go unlock and open it but Brayden snuck his right arm around her and pulled her to him before he kissed her neck.

"Just ignore whoever it is and they'll go away…" Brayden replied as Harper turned to him and they kissed.

"I know you're in there with your boyfriend who's the same age as your brother!"

"Intrusive bitch!" Harper muttered before she sighed in agitation as Brayden lightly rubbed his left hand up and down her back.

Carly Corinthos didn't know when to leave well enough alone.


	4. Enough Is Enough!

_**A/N: Sorry that it took so long to get back to this story.**_

 _ **July 22nd 2012...**_

 _She understood what they were saying as she was going in and out of consciousness… and when Harper's eyes opened for longer than a few minutes, her limbs were tied up and her jaw was grabbed as she saw one of the insurgents._

 _"'Ayn hm?!" The insurgent demanded, Harper spitting blood at him and him wiping it off in disgust._

 _"ln 'ukhbirak 'abadaan , 'ant wakhzun eanif." Harper responded defiantly before she was hit in the back._

 _She wasn't sure what she was hit with but it sent agonizing pain through her spine and neck… but still, she refused to break and looked up at her captors._

 _"Altaedhib la yuetik siwaa jitha. thuma min 'ayn satahsul ealaa almaelumat alty turiduha?" Harper responded, the second insurgent turning to the first._

 _"Aleahirat sahiha! nahn bihajat 'iilana 'iijadihim bi'anfusina!"_

 _"Aikhtarat 'an tamut , 'iinaha-"_

 _The first one fell to the ground, a bullet wound in his neck… and Harper got her left foot free from the ropes and kicked the second one between his eyes, breaking his nose as she heard multiple footsteps and gunfire._

 _But the rage didn't stop, Brayden repeatedly stabbing the corpse after grabbing his Bowie knife… until Drew pulled him back after freeing Harper's arms from the chains, putting Harper in Brayden's arms and they left with her._

 _In a hospital, Harper was treated for her injuries and rehydrated through an IV… and her and Brayden hugged, Harper shaking from the pain she was in._

 _"They're dead, you're safe… but who were they after?" Drew responded._

 _"Tex and Archer, those two jackasses are selling fuel illegally…" Harper replied, trying to get up but Brayden stopped her._

 _"I know how you are, you want to go slit their throats and they deserve it and worse. But you're beaten up bad and need to rest, Darlin'." Brayden responded, lightly brushing Harper's shoulder length honey brown hair back after getting her to lie down on her left side._

 _Harper closed her eyes once she felt that it was safe to, Drew lightly kissing her forehead and going into the hallway… and seeing red when Tex walked in._

 _Drew charged over, covering Tex's mouth with his right hand and dragging him away when he was sure no one noticed… and dragging him into an empty room, closing and locking the door._

 _"Cain, what the-" Tex tried to ask but Drew cut him off with a punch to his ribcage and then held him against the wall in a threatening manner._

 _"Harper was held captive for nearly two days because of you and Archer being greedy! Where in that mind of yours do you think it's okay to walk in here?!" Drew responded angrily, Tex taken aback._

 _"It was Harper that the insurgents kidnapped?!" Tex asked._

 _"Don't act like you give a damn about her! She could've died and you and Archer would've just gone on selling fuel!" Drew responded, slamming Tex against the wall and dropping him to the floor before going back to where Harper and Brayden were… and Brayden looking up._

 _"Tex tried to pretend he didn't know, I take it?" Brayden asked, Drew nodding._

 _"I'm turning him and Archer in for treason." Drew explained._

 _"This is no life for Harper, her waiting for me to come back and praying for my safety each time I'm gone." Brayden replied, lightly running his fingers on his left hand through her hair._

 _And Drew knew that Brayden was not taking this decision lightly…_

 **Present time…**

The door opened abruptly, Carly taken aback.

She shook the brief shock off, trying to walk in but Harper outstretched her left arm and rested her hand on the door frame… and Carly gave Harper an indignant look.

"You are not gonna barge in here like you did to Jason countless times or pull your two faced act on me and Brayden. I don't want to hear what you have to say and the reason I opened this door is to tell you that you have two choices: Get the hell out of this apartment building or I'll throw you out of it myself!" Harper responded, Carly turning angered.

"You'll regret this, Harper!" Carly replied.

"Regret this, is that a threat?! Try your best, bitch, we've dealt with people a lot scarier than a shrieking harpy married into the mob!" Harper responded.

Carly stormed off and Harper closed the door, Brayden wrapping his arms around Harper's shoulders.

"We have dealt with worse than the most selfish, grating, hypocritical, judgmental and shrewish person we've ever met." Brayden replied before they kissed.

"I hate to say this but I don't understand why Jason, Sonny or anyone else haven't run screaming from her. Or if they had tried to run, she manipulated them into staying around." Harper responded before they left, Harper having.

After getting her hair cut to her shoulders because the honey blonde highlights had grown out and paying the $12 for the haircut and $5 for a tip, Harper felt much better as she and Brayden were at Kelly's Diner and decided to eat lunch and their phones on do not disturb and in their coat pockets.

Having been told by Sam that she needed to focus more on raising the kids than remarrying him, Drew walked into the diner in a frustrated state of mind… and saw Brayden pull Harper closer and the two kissing.

He stormed over and flipped the table over, the two standing up abruptly.

"You two and Jason ruined everything, Sam took my kids and left me!" Drew seethed.

"First off, Danny isn't your child, Scout and Oscar are! And second, it's better that Sam's focusing more on raising the kids than remarrying you, they're more important than your rage directed towards us! The only ones who wronged you are Faison, Andre, Helena and Henrik! You want to know who Henrik is, he's Peter August! Bang up job, Drew, you hired one of the people responsible in this whole thing!" Harper responded angrily.

Losing it entirely, Drew tried to punch her but Brayden grabbed his left arm and broke it and Drew held his now broken limb close to him.

"Who you are now and how you've acted lately makes me deeply ashamed that I ever treated you as a friend. You were a hero, Cain! Now you're just a shell of who you once were!" Brayden replied before he and Harper left.

Outside on the Elmstreet Pier, Brayden closed his eyes and Harper lightly rubbed her tiny left hand up and down his back as her right hand wrapped around his right hand… and he lightly squeezed it before she wrapped her arms around him and Brayden held onto her.

It wasn't the first time Harper had to calm him down and reassure him that they weren't in danger… she knew from the years she had been around him the toll that the war took on the soldiers involved in it.


End file.
